Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

[Degorium]

This started with asking if we could teach wizards prayer eating, and treats being connected to divinity as a cheap technicality so yes I'll stand by that statement.

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No it's spun off of that because the comment that yog brought Olivia into it makes sense because it's a direct connection to what dragon Paradox said

you have to be 'a little bit god'

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Which very explicitly makes complete sense because Olivia is by definition is a little bit god. The only actual god- blooded we know. Denying her ancestry as someone of divine blood it is like saying Odysseus is not of Divine blood despite being Hermes' grandson simply because he does not display any internally or externally supernatural abilities. Which Olivia definitively has over Odysseus and as well as Theseus, Perseus and Achilles for that matter because she very explicitly had greater magic before the intervention of her ancestor.

She's a minor talents and not a godblood, she doesn't have enough juice to qualify as that type of character. Her ancestor intervening out of some sense of connection says more about their nature than hers.

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What type of character there's no such thing as a god-blooded character. In exalted there just Mortals with a mutation in world of Darkness being a god-blooded character is just a background. Whether you're playing a mage or sorcerer your blood would be a background do you possess rather than something that decides what type of character you are.

By this metric Achilles doesn't count as a god-blooded character because he would be considered just a mortal character who has backgrounds for his greater than human stats and his invincibility which is granted via either the River Stix or the Fires of Olympus depending on which myth you're going with.

Which I I could quote the very specific Merits he would have but you would still model him as a mortal character because yet again Divinity doesn't make a character type unless you were playing a spirit.

 

[DragonParadox]

Which I I could quote the very specific Merits he would have but you would still model him as a mortal character because yet again Divinity doesn't make a character type unless you were playing a spirit.

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Or one of the Changing Breeds, they are god-blooded in the very technical sense of being at once animal, spirit and man.

 

[Yog]

I don't recall us ever getting that detailed an answer, and this still wouldn't make her a god.

Must we break everything down into some flavorless min-maxed slop? Let characters be their own thing.

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Here is the update in question.

Lorewise, Olivia's uncontrolled magic was the core of her background as a character. We investigated, and learned that it was because of her divine raksha ancestor, the virtuous brother of Ravana, intervened at behest of Olivia's mother. We solved her issue with IDU, giving her control, but her ancestor remains as a possible plot thread to tug on. If they intervened once, exerting s significant influence on her, they could do so again.

And, like, I am only half joking about the whole "princess of Lanka, heir to the broken throne". She has significantly better claim than Mikaboshi did.

Olivia is very much the opposite of a min max slop. Her storyline as a heir of ancient cursed power that she learns to control and uses to overthrow her evil uncle is quite straightforwafd.

Actually, eait a f*cking second. I have just reread the update in question, and I cannot believe I haven't noticed this earlier.

Pious brother of Ravana who chose for his own the gift of unwavering virtue and who thus opposed his brother's malice and was made king of Lanka after his defeat.

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@DragonParadox who is the current Yama King of Lanka?

Because if it's virtuous Vibhishana, instead of Ravana, then an alliance might not be out of question, as well as Olivia actually being put in the line of succession.

A virtuous Yama King would be an invaluable ally

 

[DragonParadox]

@DragonParadox who is the current Yama King of Lanka?

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That was referring to the earthly kingdom. The Lanka that is a Yama hell is a ruin lorded over by Ravana.

 

[Ivar]

@DragonParadox did Molly put Thomas under effect of FSB offscreen or not?

 

[DragonParadox]

@DragonParadox did Molly put Thomas under effect of FSB offscreen or not?

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No, I think that's worth an update to see as well as what else's been going on with him.

 

[BronzeTongue]

Here is the update in question.

Lorewise, Olivia's uncontrolled magic was the core of her background as a character. We investigated, and learned that it was because of her divine raksha ancestor, the virtuous brother of Ravana, intervened at behest of Olivia's mother. We solved her issue with IDU, giving her control, but her ancestor remains as a possible plot thread to tug on. If they intervened once, exerting s significant influence on her, they could do so again.

And, like, I am only half joking about the whole "princess of Lanka, heir to the broken throne". She has significantly better claim than Mikaboshi did.

Olivia is very much the opposite of a min max slop. Her storyline as a heir of ancient cursed power that she learns to control and uses to overthrow her evil uncle is quite straightforwafd.

Actually, eait a f*cking second. I have just reread the update in question, and I cannot believe I haven't noticed this earlier.


@DragonParadox who is the current Yama King of Lanka?

Because if it's virtuous Vibhishana, instead of Ravana, then an alliance might not be out of question, as well as Olivia actually being put in the line of succession.

A virtuous Yama King would be an invaluable ally

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She and potentially millions of others are equal claimants. It's like claiming to be a royalty because of a connection to Genghis Khan.

This general topic is even discussed in the author's note/thread immediately around the chapter you quoted:

OOC: So you know how scions are a lot more common and integral to Dresdenverse than most fantasy universes, as in literally the descendants of supernatural beings? Well I figured why not take this unique element and weave it into deeper parts of the quest world building. Hope you guys enjoy.

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You can if you want, but Olivia isn't any more powerful than she was yesterday, this is just an insight into what happens when scions have scions and where some of the inclinations of talents minor and major come from.

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Olivia has a very standard backstory for a minor talent, a small supernatural inheritance that gave her just enough power to cause herself problems. Struggling with that, putting a face to that conflict in the story, is a foundational element of her narrative.

 

[BronzeTongue]

Is this vote an appropriate time to add splendor stuff too? If so I think one of these would be a key addition to the defenses:

Spoiler: Rich Earth's Hunger

Spoiler: 3 Dot Fascination Build

Form of Steadfast Earth (1 pt. Form Element)
The Splendor takes the form of something that is solid and durable and sturdy. It might be made
of stone, metal, or mineral deposits. It might be a crystal or gemstone. It might be dirty and
roadworn. This Element defines the Splendor's physical form and gives it a character, and that
character is aligned with the elemental power of earth. Other Elements may draw upon this fact.
The Splendor is extremely rugged, and the first attempt to damage or destroy it in any scene
automatically fails. As an Adornment, it grants its user one extra die of soak. As the basis for a
Fascination, it may generate the creator's choice of: useful tools for a certain kind of work; an
aura of quiet and serenity; periodic foreboding tremors in the earth.

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Soul Snare (3 pt. Root Element)
The Splendor captures souls. It may hold a number of souls equal to its rating. Captured soul of
potent supernatural beings may later be fashioned into Prodigies or used in Splendor-crafting.
Lesser souls might be bartered to beings interested in them, or used as display pieces.
To use Soul Snare as an Adornment, the Splendor must also have Form of Imminent Violence.
The soul of anyone slain by the Splendor is drawn into it.
As a Fascination, Soul Snare either indiscriminately absorbs the soul of anyone who dies in its
vicinity, or may be designed to exercise discretion and only capture certain departing souls. If
combined with the Form of Dust and Ash, anyone who dies while interacting with the Splendor
whose soul is not trapped by it is guaranteed to linger in the Underworld as a wraith. Coupled
with Form of Dust and Ash and a location-type Form such as Form of the Hearth, this fate
befalls anyone who dies in the Splendor's area of effect.

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Deadly Poison (1 pt. Mystic Element)
The Splendor afflicts those it targets with a deadly poison. Poisoned individuals must make a
Stamina roll against difficulty (4 + Splendor's rating) each turn or suffer a level of unsoakable
lethal damage. Once the target has succeeded at this roll three times in a row, the poison has run
its course.
This Element is normally part of a Fascination. It may only be incorporated into an Adornment if
that Adornment has the Form of Imminent Violence, in which case the weapon is envenomed
and delivers this Element upon inflicting lethal damage.

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Mystic Fortification (1 pt. Mystic Element)
One of the Splendor's snares or benefits is particularly wicked or potent. Modify one roll
associated with the Splendor by increasing or decreasing its difficulty by two, or modify one
value associated with activating or resisting its effects (such as the number of points of
Willpower that must be spent to shake off a Beautiful Lie) by two.

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Sovereign Elemental Sway (1 pt. Mystic Element)
The Splendor manipulates and reshapes that which resonates with its character, as defined by
Form Elements such as Form of Crackling Fire and Form of Ash and Dust. The benefits
provided depend on whether the Splendor is an Adornment or Fascination, and on which Form or
Forms it has incorporated.
Incorporated into an Adornment, this Element allows the Exalt to use Craft actions to sculpt
wind, water, and fire as though they were clay, creating impossible works of art or short-lived
elemental tools. Living wood can be induced to grow into patterns the Exalt desires in the same
fashion, while the difficulty to work with stone or metal is reduced by two. The difficulty to craft
dead flesh into Arcana may be reduced by two as well. The Exalt can raise or lower the Gauntlet
by one degree per success on a Crafts roll to modify it, and can rework the chimerical identity of
things.
Incorporated into a Fascination, this Element allows the Splendor to rewrite the details of
landscapes and objects, rerouting the paths of a graveyard, changing the appearance of a corpse,
repairing a rundown wooden shack, or making a barren landscape green and verdant.

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This curious blessing takes the form of a coating of rich soil dusted across its master and their immediate possessions, as if they'd been working in some fertile field for hours. This sacred soil provides some basic ability to shape that which resonates with it, allowing its master to change the details of their immediate surroundings.

When a creature that feeds on mortals comes in contact with them or the dirt falling off their body it burrows in like the roots of an alien plant, spreading inside their body and rotting away what it touches into more soil.

If this kills the target then they fully decompose into rich fertilizer and their soul is drawn away to the earth that took them.

System:
Each time a creature who feeds mortals that comes into contact with the owner of this splendor or the dirt coating their form while in their immediate presence they are subject to the Hunger of the Earth, a murderous magical poison.

Each turn they must make a stamina roll against difficulty 9 or suffer a level of unsoakable lethal damage. This will continue until they die or manage to succeed three turns in a row. If they die while subject to this effect their souls will be drawn into the splendor.

To avoid this fate they must either flee the presence of the splendor's master, surrender to them, or endure the damage.

Spoiler: Rich Earth's Hunger v2

Spoiler: 3 Dot Fascination Build

Form of Steadfast Earth (1 pt. Form Element)
The Splendor takes the form of something that is solid and durable and sturdy. It might be made
of stone, metal, or mineral deposits. It might be a crystal or gemstone. It might be dirty and
roadworn. This Element defines the Splendor's physical form and gives it a character, and that
character is aligned with the elemental power of earth. Other Elements may draw upon this fact.
The Splendor is extremely rugged, and the first attempt to damage or destroy it in any scene
automatically fails. As an Adornment, it grants its user one extra die of soak. As the basis for a
Fascination, it may generate the creator's choice of: useful tools for a certain kind of work; an
aura of quiet and serenity; periodic foreboding tremors in the earth.

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Ruinous Misery (3 pt. Root Element)
This Element can only be part of a Fascination.
The Splendor destroys its targets' finances and fortunes. Roll Manipulation + Finance against
difficulty (10 – Splendor's rating) when this curse strikes at a valid individual. They lose a
number of dots of Resources equal to the successes rolled. The lost dots return at a rate of one
per story as their cash-flow equalizes, assuming their life hasn't collapsed in the meantime.

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Deadly Poison (1 pt. Mystic Element)
The Splendor afflicts those it targets with a deadly poison. Poisoned individuals must make a
Stamina roll against difficulty (4 + Splendor's rating) each turn or suffer a level of unsoakable
lethal damage. Once the target has succeeded at this roll three times in a row, the poison has run
its course.
This Element is normally part of a Fascination. It may only be incorporated into an Adornment if
that Adornment has the Form of Imminent Violence, in which case the weapon is envenomed
and delivers this Element upon inflicting lethal damage.

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Mystic Fortification (1 pt. Mystic Element)
One of the Splendor's snares or benefits is particularly wicked or potent. Modify one roll
associated with the Splendor by increasing or decreasing its difficulty by two, or modify one
value associated with activating or resisting its effects (such as the number of points of
Willpower that must be spent to shake off a Beautiful Lie) by two.

Click to shrink...

Sovereign Elemental Sway (1 pt. Mystic Element)
The Splendor manipulates and reshapes that which resonates with its character, as defined by
Form Elements such as Form of Crackling Fire and Form of Ash and Dust. The benefits
provided depend on whether the Splendor is an Adornment or Fascination, and on which Form or
Forms it has incorporated.
Incorporated into an Adornment, this Element allows the Exalt to use Craft actions to sculpt
wind, water, and fire as though they were clay, creating impossible works of art or short-lived
elemental tools. Living wood can be induced to grow into patterns the Exalt desires in the same
fashion, while the difficulty to work with stone or metal is reduced by two. The difficulty to craft
dead flesh into Arcana may be reduced by two as well. The Exalt can raise or lower the Gauntlet
by one degree per success on a Crafts roll to modify it, and can rework the chimerical identity of
things.
Incorporated into a Fascination, this Element allows the Splendor to rewrite the details of
landscapes and objects, rerouting the paths of a graveyard, changing the appearance of a corpse,
repairing a rundown wooden shack, or making a barren landscape green and verdant.

Click to shrink...

This curious blessing takes the form of a coating of rich soil dusted across its master and their immediate possessions, as if they'd been working in some fertile field for hours. This sacred soil provides some basic ability to shape that which resonates with it, allowing its master to change the details of their immediate surroundings.

When a creature that feeds on mortals comes in contact with them or the dirt falling off their body it burrows in like the roots of an alien plant, spreading inside their body and rotting away what it touches into more soil.

If this kills the target then they fully decompose into rich fertilizer and crumbles across the ground.

As they suffer from the rebuke of the earth, they also find its riches slipping from their hands. Fate will conspire to drive them into poverty for a time, a lingering act of spite for any who live long enough to regret going where they do not belong.

System:
Each time a creature who feeds mortals that comes into contact with the owner of this splendor or the dirt coating their form while in their immediate presence they are subject to the Hunger of the Earth, a murderous magical poison.

Each turn they must make a stamina roll against difficulty 9 or suffer a level of unsoakable lethal damage. This will continue until they die or manage to succeed three turns in a row.

The first turn a target takes damage from this splendor, the owner also rolls manipulation+finance against difficulty 7. The target loses that many dots of the Resources background, which return at a rate of 1 per story.

Mallko's nature is already causing us headaches, might as well get a benefit from it too.

There's also the benefit of giving the red court something to choke on instead of letting them send attacks like the helicopter thing at us at their leisure.

 

[Ivar]

No, I think that's worth an update to see as well as what else's been going on with him.

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So we need to vote for it or it's more automatic interlude stuff?

 

[Degorium]

Or one of the Changing Breeds, they are god-blooded in the very technical sense of being at once animal, spirit and man.

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Yeah, the changing breeds I feel are different because of the both being spirit and man unless you're talking in the general sense of the Indian avatars or manifestations of the greater gods or Jesus.

The changing breeds are directly connected to a greater God who's very energy flows through them whose nature they owe to, Red in Claw and tooth directly in the same way Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu the protector of Cosmic order who is incarnated very specifically to destroy things that threatened said Cosmic order.

Which feels distinctly different from even actually Indian demigods like Karna and Arjuna who despite being of near Divine stature in their skill and attribute are completely independent of their parents powers and power source.

Does that make sense? There's no way for Achilles to draw on the strength of his mother same for Hercules for his father. It doesn't seem really to me that a lot of classical demigods would have a gnosis score they can't learn the gifts of their parents if they maintain a blessing or other type of spiritual gift it is given or taken and not something they inherently are capable of learning or attaining through base efforts.
In contrast to well this.

Every Garou is a crucible for Gaia's primal anger — her Rage at the pillage of the world at the hands of the Weaver and the Wyrm.

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Gaia did not leave the Garou with Rage as their only inheritance of her spiritual power. She gave them another tool, one that connects her children to their other nature, the spirit world. This connection to the Sacred Mother is called Gnosis.

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[Yog]

She and potentially millions of others are equal claimants. It's like claiming to be a royalty because of a connection to Genghis Khan.

This general topic is even discussed in the author's note/thread immediately around the chapter you quoted:

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She is one of many, yes. The subset of Vibhishana's descendants with magical ability is probably smaller than the total number of his descendants. The subset of those with magic in whose magic and life Vibhishana directly and profoundly intervened is even smaller. Finally, the number kf those who had their Po Awakened and likely had their blood strengthened has to be much, much smaller still.

I'm not saying she is super duper special right now (besides IDU). But there's a basis for her becoming such. If Vibhishana intervened once, he can do so again. Strengthening her blood should be entirely doable. The tiniest spark of divinity in her soul can be fanned into a great flame.

 

[DragonParadox]

So we need to vote for it or it's more automatic interlude stuff?

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Unless you want to do something special with it automatic.

 

[BronzeTongue]

I just had a very heretical thought based on that splendor I posted. It essentially operates on the basis that Mallko's presence is very large because he's land god. The same thing that's strong enough to keep him here even when we try to move him with infernal charms should be enough of a vector for Fascination splendor targeting.

Supposing that holds, how might it interact with the white god? He's supposed to be omnipresent isn't he?

I think messing with mortal will himself is a contra-paradigm action for him, so most effects are out, but I'm not sure it's break his rules to accept a gift from one that only technically protected it. After all, Sacred Protection doesn't stop you from trying anything you like. Some actions just don't do what you're looking for anymore.

I think it's clear where I'm going with this, but to be clear, I mean making god friendship bracelet which gives him and anyone in his immediate presence immunity to possession and mind magic. Which would be everywhere other than hell.

Failing that, we could see if an Angel that just happens to be very big and near earth could take it instead. Someone who might be willing to use their eldritch powers to play "I'm not touching you" with very important rules. Someone really good at loophole abuse and way more experienced at conning the forces of evil than we are.

Think Uriel might know a guy?

 

[Anaja]

[X] Plan Daedalus

 

[Anaja]

Adhoc vote count started by Anaja on Dec 29, 2024 at 12:46 PM, finished with 44 posts and 5 votes.

• ---

  5 people have voted

  [X] Plan Daedalus
  -[X] Continue with the Fortress action
  --[X] Lead and participate the construction of defensive fortifications and enchantments, primarily on the Courts side
  --[X] Activate your whole enchantment package: Shintai (while inside the courts), WHWH, BSM, FPoR, MHM and Lord of the Land for large scale construction
  --[X] Maintain Leadership, Occult, and Craft excellencies as needed
  --[X] Involve enchanters from the Courts, and Olivia (for mana manipulation) to work on the project
  --[X] Work with the spirit for whom it is to be a body, like the train is for Porter.
  ---[X] Use Proxy Servant Protocol to expand the crafting and magic dicepools of the craftsmen involved, and Source Code Compliance Protocol (with essence expenditure) to lower magical DC
  --[X] Stunt: in your mind, gears whirl, a multidimensional fractal mosaic of interlocking details coming together in a union of magic and technology, of half-remembered flashes of ancient insight and the vision of a future yet to come. Projected into mortally comprehensible dimensions it is a body of a god, a fortress for those manning it, a logistics hub for the products moved in and out, a weapon to be aimed at invaders, a Labyrinth. It would normally take you days to even start explaining your plan to those assembled before you, brilliant as they are, called from all corners of your soul for a chance to work directly under you. But that is not needed, when they are, in effect, also part of the design, as it stretches in one more not just spatial, but temporal direction. Still, bolstered by your leadership, and equipped with the best tools possible, you speak of what you are constructing.

  • Yog
  • Goldfish
  • Ivar
  • Vanguard_D
  • Anaja

 

[BoredMan]

Is this vote an appropriate time to add splendor stuff too? If so I think one of these would be a key addition to the defenses:

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I believe this is just the method of approach right now. We haven't actually talked to Malko about things yet for example. Haven't asked him about the Reds we should bring up these splendor ideas then since they involve him.

 

[BronzeTongue]

I believe this is just the method of approach right now. We haven't actually talked to Malko about things yet for example. Haven't asked him about the Reds we should bring up these splendor ideas then since they involve him.

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Fair enough. Figured he'd be cool with claiming the souls of/weaponized poverty against his ancient enemies, but it'd be good to ask first.

@Yog I think a splendor fitting session would be a good addition to your plan, and we can work the details out during that scene.

 

[Yog]

Fair enough. Figured he'd be cool with claiming the souls of/weaponized poverty against his ancient enemies, but it'd be good to ask first.

@Yog I think a splendor fitting session would be a good addition to your plan, and we can work the details out during that scene.

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Add a line like "-[] Start designing splendors to work with the defenses being built"?

 

[DragonParadox]

Do you guys have any idea how you want the fortress on this side to look?

 

[fictionfan]

Do you guys have any idea how you want the fortress on this side to look?

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Well the Stargate gate room seems like a good place to start. Basically we want to both have a quick closing block on the gate as well as having a extreme kill box right on our side of the gate.

 

[BronzeTongue]

Do you guys have any idea how you want the fortress on this side to look?

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It's in a volcano right? Were we able to set it up so the portal is in the center when moving things around last time?

It'd be cool to arrange it like a tiered fortress-labyrinth carved into rekindled caldera. We could shape the walls into warding runes, or perhaps the name of the lesser god we create to guard it and when viewed from above form a vast fanged eye.

I'd do a dramatic write up for the proposal, but I'm busy and want feedback before getting into it.

 

[fictionfan]

Volcano lair is a classic.

 

[DragonParadox]

It's in a volcano right? Were we able to set it up so the portal is in the center when moving things around last time?

It'd be cool to arrange it like a tiered fortress-labyrinth carved into rekindled caldera. We could shape the walls into warding runes, or perhaps the name of the lesser god we create to guard it and when viewed from above form a vast fanged eye.

I'd do a dramatic write up for the proposal, but I'm busy and want feedback before getting into it.

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I could leave the vote up until the morning I'm going to need some time to so some background stuff. Molly and co have gone though a bunch of long term plans like a hurricane which means I have to do some rolls and consider how certain actors will react

Yeah we don't really have a lot of votes either, that seems like a good idea.

 

[Yog]

Fair enough. Figured he'd be cool with claiming the souls of/weaponized poverty against his ancient enemies, but it'd be good to ask first.

@Yog I think a splendor fitting session would be a good addition to your plan, and we can work the details out during that scene.

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Added the following:
--[] Incorporate places and structures for the magic yet to be cast, including the splendors, into the structures of the defenses
---[] Start thinking of what those splendors can be

Well the Stargate gate room seems like a good place to start. Basically we want to both have a quick closing block on the gate as well as having a extreme kill box right on our side of the gate.

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Yeah, that sounds practical.

Do you guys have any idea how you want the fortress on this side to look?

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I have no specific vision, I believe. At least nothing that's super-approrpiate. For the sources of inspiration I have the following:
1) Modron Maze from Planescape: Torment, with Mechanus Cannon for a possible feature. A mechanical labyrinth-fortress, with gears, and clockwork punk aethtetic
2) Necron Tesseract Labyrinth / Necron Tomb - ancient yet clearly hyper-advanced metallic / hightech construction with glowing runes flowing and rearranging themselves
3) Autochtonia. Just straight up how Great Maker made himself. A vast technorganic construction
4) A blend of natural and clearly technological, freely flowing from one to another, where each part is also magic, geomancy on the large scale, applied feng shui. Ideally one extending beyond what the eye can see

I think it should follow the aesthetics of the Courts, basically, it would be Molly applying her touch to them, pushing them to the limit and adding exalted flare, shaping the world of her soul in ways mortals cannot.

 

[DragonParadox]

Good night guys see you tomorrow with the fortress